fringe tree not budding out :(

hello i planted a fringe tree in my yard last year it looked very nice,but now it' just a bunch of bare twigs.i did scratch one of the branchs and it was green so i know there is hope.i just thought it would have leafs on it by now.i did read that they perk up after the azalea's bloom(which are just starting to leaf out).i was going to buy another fringe tree because they are pretty but i am reconsidering now.the pic is from last fall and this is how the tree still looks-the garden is filled with mulch and more tree's-bushes of course :)

I'd give it some time yet, if it's green under the bark then it's still alive. I'm not sure what time they normally leaf out in your area but if your azaleas are just starting to leaf out I don't think that I'd worry yet.

i just cant wait to see some green on it :)

Hi - I have two fringe trees and they JUST began to bud a few days ago. We're in zone 6, so maybe a little ahead of you. They are one of the last trees in my yard to spring to life - so I'd give them some more time. If you see green, then you are probably fine. They are worth the wait!
Kara

QB,
I have a male and female fringe tree and the female is still quite asleep and the male is just starting to wake up. This plant is one of the very last plants to come out of dormancy, so don't sweat it.

A plant that was just put into the ground will also be a little screwed up as far as breaking dormancy goes, so this year will not be "normal" for the plant.

I know it's difficult to wait, but the plant will come out of dormancy, as long as there is green when you scratch the twigs.
Good luck,
Mike

Mine too are still sleeping, and normal. I live just west of Minneapolis.

Aren't you all jinxed now?

Make a wish like that in MN, and now you'll have six more weeks of winter...

treelover3: I had no idea there were male and female fringe trees. Can you tell me what the difference is? And how can I tell which I have?

Thanks!

Kara

Hi Kara,
Fringe trees (Chionanthus virginicus) are dioecious for the most part, which means the sexes are on separate plants. A few Fringe trees end up being polygamodioecious, which means that some of the flowers are perfect and/or flowers of the opposite sex are produced on a male or female plant.

There is no way to tell the sex by just looking at the plant. I purchased my female plant in early summer when it was loaded with green berries (technically, drupes). My male was pruchased at around the same time and I bought the plant because it did not have any berries. It's possible to have a female plant, but no berries, if there is no male plant close by to pollinate the female.

Fringe trees bloom when quite young, so if your plant has bloomed, but not produced berries, then you probably have a male. Again, it could be female, but there are no males around to pollinate the plant so you get berries.
I hope this helps.
Mike

VV, it makes the spring last longer - I still have two species of pussywillow in bloom! Me thinks your just jealous because I don't need air conditioning all summer. Yet . . .

Spring in MN = rougher sledding, methinks.

Yes, well, we have our own famous HHH - and that allows us to have healthy Hydrangea macrophylla, especially when it's hazy, hot, and humid.

woohwhoo i see green buds :)

Congrats!

My fringe trees are in bloom right now. The male is slightly ahead of the female, but both are blooming.

One of mine is beginning bloom, the other, not quite yet.

ok last year when i bought this tree it had some berries-would that mean i purchased a female.also it only had maybe 6 clumps of flowers not really showy and the flowers didnt produce berries just new twigs.i know i should have a male to pollinate,but how can i be sure i have a female?should i give it another year to see?
in the pic the fringe is to the left of the arbor

If it had berries last year then it's a female--chances are there were male ones at the nursery too and that's how you managed to get pollination and it made berries. But now since it's the only tree and you don't have a male one, you won't get the berries again.

but if i purchase a male im good right?

Yes, if you purchase a male and plant it close enough to the female then you can get berries. I'm not sure how close fringe trees need to be in order to maximize the chances of pollination--hopefully someone else can comment on that.

thankyou for the response,just waiting for the fall sales

The best chance of getting a male at a nursery is to pick from a block of fringe trees where some have berries and some not. That way, you can be fairly sure that those without berries are males. If you pick from a nursery where no fringe trees have berries at all, you really have no way to even attempt to determine which is which.